The Champion Salesman - Conclusion

This concludes our series on The Six Characteristics of the Champion Sales Professional. I call it ELU Squared or ELU to the power of two:

• Energy - Energy management above time management
• Enthusiasm - Learn the language of enthusiasm
• Likability - Be likable
• Love - Love what you do and know it well
• Unique - Be unique and extra-ordinary
• Urgent - Learn urgency, even when urgency may not be present

I hope you have enjoyed this series. Stay tuned for more on entrepreneurialism, successful selling, energy management, and spirituality.

Urgency - Let it rain, let it rain

Forefront Austin

This week on 'The Churn' we have been discussing the word 'urgency' and the idea that a champion sales professional knows how to apply urgency, even when it may not be present. This is how the pros move prospects through the pipeline, from initial contact, to a strong relationship, to a closed sale. They find ways to make the building of the relationship urgent, without being overbearing. And they find reasons why the prospect will benefit from their product or service and they put those reasons front and center.

This concept of 'urgency – even when urgency may not be present' works in another way for those of us in Central Texas, as it relates to our water supply. We have been under drought conditions for several months. Since we finally got some rain this week, I want to point my readers to some great material over at Forefront Austin. Forefront is one of my consulting projects and is a unique Austin business on a mission to make our community stronger, by helping engage our citizenry around important issues.

This months 'big question' is "What is the biggest environmental challenge Central Texans need to address in the next ten years?" As you might imagine, it is time to get 'urgent' about our water usage. I especially commend this article, titled Ten Steps to Conserve Land and Water. If you enjoy what you learn at Forefront Austin, be sure to sign up to receive our monthly distribution. Next months topic will be education and youth. How will generation Z change Austin?

Urgency - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Adapt the pace of nature:

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American essayist and poet of the 19th century said, "Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience." A great salesman understands this wonderful quote. There is a certain rhythm to successful selling, like there is a rhythm to nature and to all of life. 

A champion salesman goes about things with the pace of nature. There is a sense of calm urgency when dealing with a successful person, not a sense of panic or anxiousness. You want your prospects and clients to sense your confidence and your pace. Every interaction is a chance to show someone that you are a person of purpose, a person who wants to reach out and help solve problems. Like the four seasons, you want your prospects to know that you will be back in touch and that you are always there, but not in a way that is overbearing or annoying.

On a tactical level, I offer these tips to being a person who portrays urgency, even when urgency may not be present.

• Have a great voice mail message. Make sure it is your voice and that you sound enthusiastic about what you do.
• Always answer the phone with a sense of purpose and interest.
• Return phone calls as quickly as possible and always the same business day.
• Use actionable language in your email communications.
• Every interaction is a chance to share a story of success.
• Create reasons to be in touch. People want to hear good news. Find it and tell it.
• Never end a meeting or a conversation without a follow-up agenda.
• Do what you say, when you say.

Urgency - Even when urgency may not be present

Be urgent!:

Transitioning now to the final building block of my ELU Squared pyramid. Over the past five weeks, we have looked at five of The Six Characteristics of the Champion Sales Professional. We have focused on (above all else) energy management (as opposed to time management), we have an understanding of enthusiasm as it relates to top sales people, we went old school with likability, we love what we do and we know it well, and then last week we talked about being unique so that your clients and prospects always remember you. This final piece, urgency - even when urgency may not be present, is perhaps the least understood of the six characteristics.

I think I first learned about urgency from my good friend and the very talented Ricky May. Ricky has had an amazing career in the sports business, ranging from minor league baseball (Durham Bulls) to college athletics (University of Louisville) to auto racing (Valvoline Oil and NASCAR). When I was first starting my career in sales, Ricky and I would speak by phone almost every day and the first words out of his mouth would always be: "Did you sell anything today?" It is really a pretty good question to ask yourself everyday if you have a sales job. It gets right to the heart of the matter, doesn't it?

If you read these short essays on a regular basis, and if your career is sales (or marketing) let me ask you a question and I will pick it back up tomorrow. What does it mean to apply urgency, even when urgency may not be present?

churnOn Top Ten: Action oriented, unique ways to close an email

This week we have focused on how being 'unique' is a key characteristic of a champion sales person. One way to be unique is to have communication skills that are, as Yogi Bear would say, "Smarter than the average bear." This means strong in written and verbal communication. For example, I have always thought that a great salesman has a unique voice mail message – something upbeat and action oriented. Something that leaves people feeling good and positive.

I have also always enjoyed trying to find unique ways to make my email communication effective and action oriented. For example, how do you close an email? Do you have closings that go beyond the typical 'Best regards,' or 'Sincerely yours,'. Here is my churnOn Top Ten, action oriented, unique ways to close an email:

10. Until then,
9. With anticipation,
8. Talk soon,
7. Stay the course,
6. Stay tuned,
5. Press on, or Pressing on,
4. All good things,
3. Good stuff,
2. Over to you,
1. Let's make it happen,

What are your favorite ways to close an email? Next week we will transition to the final characteristic, and I think perhaps the least understood of all: Urgency – Learn to apply urgency, even when it may not be present.

"Great sales people are competitive and emotional; it is what makes them great"

Give me leaders, not bosses:

Today was going to be a churnOn Top Ten: Unique Ways to Close an Email, but I have decided to save that for tomorrow, in favor of this excellent essay from Matt Sharrers, Principal at Sales Benchmark Index. My friend Greg Petersen recently introduced me to Greg Alexander, the founder of SBI, and I have enjoyed following their work in the field of sales force effectiveness.

This essay speaks directly to what I have been formulating relative to 'A' players in my series, The Six Key Characteristics of the Champion Sales Professional. All of the top performers I have ever known, including myself, are highly competitive and highly emotional. Give me a leader who understands the importance of these two traits (emotional management tactics), over a boss who only focuses on the numbers (logical management tactics) any day of the week.

Are you working in an environment that celebrates leaders or bosses?

How am I unique and extraordinary

Yesterday, we began exploring how champion sales people are unique and extraordinary. Since I am writing this series, one would assume that I consider myself a champion sales person. I think my track record of entrepreneurial sales successes speaks for itself. So I started thinking about how I am unique and extraordinary. Here are a few ways that I separate myself from the pack. Some of these attributes have been developed over time, while others were more innate.

I walk fast. ("That guy walks with purpose and is going places in his life.") I have a beautiful bald head, developed over time. I smile a lot. I make people feel good. I write action oriented follow-up emails and personal notes. I have very good phone mannerisms. I hate to lose. I manage my energy exceptionally well. I am enthusiastic. I have high empathy. I understand the final key of the champion sales person: how to apply urgency, even when urgency may not be present. (Urgency is next weeks topic, and one that most sales people do not understand.)

I also do some things that are not well-liked in certain situations. I despise long meetings. I get bored with trivial conversations. I walk fast. ("That guy is always in a hurry and doesn't slow down to listen to what I have to say.") I would rather 'do' than 'talk about doing'. I have a ready-aim-fire mentality. These things may not make me the most popular guy around the water cooler, but they are typically the traits of a top grade sales person. 

Tomorrow, is a churnOn Top Ten:  Unique Ways to Close an Email.

ELU Squared: Be unique and extraordinary

ELU to the power of two:

Every top producing sales person I have ever encountered fits into the category of being both 'unique' and 'extraordinary'. I read recently that top sales people might be some of the most insecure people in the world, ranking just behind aspiring actors. When you never know where the next sale is coming from and when the entire organization is depending on the sales team to deliver results, it is easy to feel insecure. Not to mention, the willingness to stake your earning potential on your ability to close sales. In some ways, a sales person needs to be like a good actor or actress, able to 'turn on' energy, kindness, charm, and persuasiveness throughout the sales process.

This week we will explore ways in which top producers are unique and extraordinary. Some of these characteristics may be viewed as less than flattering by others within the organization. For example, top sales people know that in order to perform at a high level, they need to be either on the phone selling or in the field selling. I do not know any top sales people who enjoy internal meetings or long drawn out internal conversations. While this can be seen as impatience or lack-of-respect, it is really competitiveness and a burning desire to be out selling. It also should be noted that more often than not, the top sales person is not necessarily the master of the CRM system. Selling is more a right brain skill, then a left brain skill. Perfection with the CRM system is in direct contrast to 'what can I do to close the next sale?'

If you are in sales, ask yourself if you are unique and extraordinary (i.e. not ordinary)? What defines you as a sales person? Are you always churning on the inside, worried about where the next big one is coming from? Are you quirky in any way? Competitive? If you answered 'no' to the yes/no questions in this list, then you might want to rethink your line of work!

What does it mean to love your work

Finding the dream job:

The best description I have found around the idea of loving what you do, comes from Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their book, The Power of Full Engagement. To be fully engaged (i.e. to love your job), "we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest." (p. 5) Notice how that sentence is basically the same as the sentence I ended yesterday's essay with from Stephen Covey: "I will tap my talents and fuel my passions, in a way that rises out of a great need in the world that I am drawn to by conscience to meet – for therein lies my voice, my true calling, my soul's code."

Another way to say the same thing would be do stuff you love to do (emotionally vested, passionate), stuff you are good at (talents, focus, drive, energy), and stuff that someone will pay you to do (what the world needs.) That is the place to be if you want to be a champion sales professional.

Next week we continue this series with a look at what it means to be 'unique' when selling. ELU to the power of two: Energy, Enthusiasm, Likability, Love, Unique, and Urgent.

Love what you do and know it well

Are you in your sweet spot?:

I believe the champion sales professional truly loves their job. They love the product they sell and the company they represent. Furthermore, the champion sales professional knows their product in great detail. They know the features and benefits of their product and more importantly they are able to find out how the product or service can meet the needs of the client. This does not mean that their job, company or product is perfect, but it does mean that they enjoy their work and that their love for the work overshadows any shortcomings or challenges.

I have seen sales people who sell products in an industry where they don't consider themselves an expert. Some are even very good sales people, because they have what it takes to persevere in spite of the fact that they don't enjoy the  industry. For example, a person who does not enjoy technology, might be a good technology sales person if they have the other tools (of champion sales people) and if they are surrounded by talented technologists who they can lean on for assistance. While this may be okay, it is not ideal, because these individuals are not matching their talents with their passions.

Remember Stephen Covey's quote that I like so much: "I will tap my talents and fuel my passions, in a way that rises out of a great need in the world that I am drawn to by conscience to meet – for therein lies my voice, my true calling, my soul's code."

ELU Squared: Do what you love and know it well

ELU to the power of two

It is time to transition to the bottom row of the ELU Squared selling pyramid and the fourth of The Six Characteristics of the Champion Sales Professional – Love. We have discussed how energy management is the most important of all, because without effective energy management one can not consistently perform at a championship level in the other areas. We have discussed the importance of enthusiasm, and how we can learn 'to speak the language of enthusiasm'. Lastly, we focused on likability in the sales process and the 'old school' philosophy that people buy from people they like. For the rest of this week, we will begin to answer the question, 'Do you love what you do and do you know it well?' More churn on love (and knowledge) tomorrow.

The Dan Plan

The Dan Plan

Yesterday we touched on The 10,000 Hour Rule, the premise behind Malcolm Gladwell's popular book, Outliers: The Story of Success. My photo for that essay was the Westlake (Austin) High School Girls Golf Team, who just took first and third in regional play last week in Waco. They are the defending Texas 5A Champions. Those girls understand what it takes to be successful. They understand each of the keys that we have discussed thus far, when it comes to The Champion Sales Professional: energy management, enthusiasm, and likability. Golf is a great teacher of these skills and we are proud of what the girls have accomplished.

Dan McLaughlin in Portland, OR is putting The 10,000 Hour Rule to the test in his own way. Check out The Dan Plan to see how he intends to conquer golf, starting from a basis of zero and becoming a professional player. As of April 15th he was cruising past 1,400 hours and going strong.

What have you invested 10,000 hours in during your lifetime? That is approximately 5.5 hours a day, six days a week for six years. Have you perfected that skill?

Likability: The 10,000 Hour Rule

Go Chaps Golf - natural sales talent in the making:

Last week we focused on the third (of six) Characteristics of the Champion Sales Professional: Likability. We had some fun looking at the difference in right brain versus left brain selling. We also explored one of my favorite sales quotes, which of course can be applied to anything in life. "People may not remember what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel." I did a little Google research to find out the quote is attributed to Zappos CEO and Founder, Tony Hsieh. 

Before we move on to the fourth characteristic (Love what you do and know it well) let's have some fun exploring the '10,000 Hour Rule' and what it means to a champion sales person. Are you familiar with the 10,000 hour rule? It is the main premise behind Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers: The Story of Success. The idea is that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to really master a specific subject or skill. That is about six and a half hours a day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year, for a little over six years.

Energy management, enthusiasm, and likability all need to be practiced, just like any other skill. Tomorrow, I will tell you more about the girls in the photo, and how they are putting all of these skills to use, in their quest for a second straight Texas 5A Golf Championship. We will also look at what an average man named Dan is doing in Portland, OR to put the 10,000 hour rule into practice in his journey to become a champion golfer.

A special Easter post about a very good salesman

From my friend Chad Moore of Dukane:

"There was a young Jewish teacher some years ago who made a statement along the lines of "you'll do well if you value people the way you would like to be valued." I think this lines up well with your [last] post [on likability]. I know a busy executive who always leaves you feeling valued as a friend every time you talk to him, even if its only a couple of sentences that pass between you. That's a gift to everyone he meets and it comes back to him in spades."

Happy Easter. Be likable.

Likability . . . they will always remember how you made them feel

churnOn this: I worked with a talented friend during my tenure at Salient Systems who used to say that a sales call could be summed up this way. "Your client or prospect may not remember what you said or what you did, but they will always . . . always . . . remember how you made them feel." I think this is a great mantra to follow every time you interact with anyone, but especially important when trying to establish and maintain relationships in the selling game.

Enthusiasm - Top Ten Quotes

Enthusiasm:

Before we move to the third characteristic of the champion sales professional, I had some fun looking up quotes on enthusiasm. Remember, we sell with enthusiasm, not by enthusiasm.

Here's a churnOn Top Ten on enthusiasm:

10. "Enthusiasm – the sustaining power of all great action." - Samuel Smiles
9. "None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm." - Henry David Thoreau
8. "If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm." - Vince Lombardi
7. "Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm." - Earl Nightingale
6. "There is an eloquence in true enthusiasm." - Edgar Allen Poe
5."Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money, power, and influence." - Henry Chester
4. "When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it." - W. Clement Stone
3. "Success is the ability to go from one loss to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
2. "If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm." - Bruce Barton
1. "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next, we go 'old school' when we begin discussing 'likability' – the third characteristic of the champion sales professional. Likability is something several of the modern day sales practitioners choose not to emphasize. I think that is a mistake.

Managing energy, not time, is the key to high performance

Energy oscillation is the key:

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, in their book The Power of Full Engagement teach that managing energy (not time) is the key to high performance. Listen to the first paragraph of the book:

"We live in digital time. Our rhythms are rushed, rapid fire and relentless, our days carved up into bits and bytes. We celebrate breadth rather than depth, quick reaction more than considered reflection. We skim across the surface, alighting for brief moments at dozens of destinations but rarely remaining long at any one. We race through our lives without pausing to consider who we really want to be or where we really want to go. We're wired up but we're melting down."

Successful selling, maybe more than any other profession, requires a complete understanding of energy management. Energy management is an entire science in and of itself. We can't do the subject justice in short blog posts, and thus stress the importance of studying a book like the one mentioned above. Another great read, with very similar teachings is Stephen Covey's book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. Reflect on these two sentences, the first from Loehr's book and the second from Covey's book:

"To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest."

"I will tap my talents (mental capacity) and fuel my passions (emotional capacity) in a way that rises out of a great need (physical capacity) in the world that I am drawn to by conscience (spiritual capacity) to meet - for therein lies my voice, my true-calling, my soul's code."

Tomorrow we will focus more on the word 'oscillation' and the importance of moving in and out of each of the capacities, and learn how we build emotional, mental and spiritual energy in exactly the same way we build physical energy. When we understand this, and put rituals in our life that allow us to rhythmically move in and out of each area, we can then (and only then) succeed in the other key characteristics of successful selling.